I'm Rich, a 32 year old programmer. I make games with a friend. I've loved games since they came on cassette tapes (what are these?!) but the first game to steal my heart was Super Mario Bros. 3. My two favourite consoles are the SNES and PS2. I have an incredible backlog on both systems that I'm trying to get through while balancing playing new games. I like way more games than I don't so I could never be a reviewer. I think if you put your soul into something and don't compromise your principles, then it is worthy of showing to someone.

Going through high school in the 90s, my friends and I listened mostly to 80s punk bands like Dead Kennedy's, Descendents and Bad Religion to name a few. We formed a few shitty bands and absorbed all the literature associated with the scene such as Nineteen Eighty-Four, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, and Animal Farm. As I grew older, my musical taste moved away from punk rock but the anti-authoritarian message stuck with me. It is no surprise, then, that I was drawn to the story of Mirror's Edge.

Mirror's Edge takes the Brave New World approach of a sort of dystopian utopia. Life is safe for the common person, but only because of the restrictions imposed by the totalitarian regim controlling the city. The approach of subduing the population by appearing to give people exactly what they want while slowly removing their freedom has always been more frightening to me than straight oppressive rule by fear.

The minimalist art direction in Mirror's Edge is superb. The buildings are mostly rendered in pure-white and blue; their almost too-clean exteriors gives off a real Stepford Wives-like vibe and reminds us that everything in the city must conform to one group's idea of perfection.

I was captivated by the demo and bought the game at launch. It is by no means perfect, but the music, art and story all came together in such a way that it will always be one of my favorites. With the recent business of SOPA, PIPA and currently ACTA, I have to hope Mirror's Edge remains fiction and not prophecy.